Natchez native getting ready to rumble

Published 12:28 am Saturday, April 23, 2011

NATCHEZ — Fans of professional wrestling in the Miss-Lou will want to flock to the Natchez Auditorium June 4 to catch All-Star Pro Wrestling.

The event will feature Spike TV’s “Half Pint Brawlers” and the main event will include Natchez’s own Hank Wiley or “Pretty Boy George”, Wiley said.

Wiley, who now lives in Indianapolis, has been wrestling for 30 years and has loved wrestling since he was young, learning the moves by watching it on TV, he said.

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Wiley said he loves the professional wrestling business and loves to give and receive a little pain.

“If you don’t really want to get hurt, then you don’t really want to do it, and you shouldn’t get involved,” Wiley said.

Wiley is now 52, but he says that age is not a factor in professional wrestling and actually it can be a benefit.

“The more experience you (have) the easier it is,” Wiley said. “It (all) depends on you, if you can put your mind in doing it, it’s not really that hard. You have to work though.”

Wiley has won multiple championships and cannot even begin to count how many matches he has fought over his 30-year career, he said.

It will not be the first time the Natchez native has wrestled in his hometown.

“I came in 2000 to wrestle, and I can’t wait to come back. I miss all the fans down there,” Wiley said.

Wiley travels all over the country for All-Star Pro Wrestling he said, and although he does not travel as much as he did in his younger days, he is still on the road a lot, he said.

The event will feature a battle royal match, with around 12 men fighting at once, a match between the stars of Spike TV’s show “Half Pint Brawlers” and the main event will be between Wiley and Kamala, Jr., Wiley said.

“We do all the same things the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) does, some of our guys (even) do hardcore matches,” Wiley said.”I used to (do hardcore matches) but I’m getting to old for it.”